Sycamore attorney pleads guilty to prostitution charge

A DeKalb County attorney has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of prostitution, her lawyer confirmed Thursday.

In a negotiated plea, Reema Bajaj, 26, agreed to plead guilty to the count, in exchange for DeKalb County prosecutors dropping a felony prostitution charge and another misdemeanor count, attorney David Camic of Aurora said.

Bajaj, of Sycamore, was sentenced to a year of supervision and must perform 50 hours of community service and undergo a psychological evaluation.

She was arrested in June 2011, after police say they found evidence that linked her to an incident of prostitution that reportedly took place in August 2010.

The 2010 Northern Illinois University law school graduate received her law license in November 2011, according to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

Scott Renfroe, the ARDC chief of Supreme Court practice, said Bajaj, like any other lawyer with a felony or misdemeanor conviction, is obligated to report it to the ARDC, which will determine whether disciplinary action is merited.

Bajaj is not the first lawyer to come before the ARDC in such a fashion.

A Chicago lawyer faced disciplinary action 10-15 years ago following her arrest for prostitution, noted Renfroe, who said he could not recall how that episode was finally settled.

The fact that Bajaj’s conviction stemmed from something that happened before she was licensed could aid her cause, Renfroe said, though other lawyers have been disciplined for activities that happened before they were admitted to the bar.

Bajaj would have faced a more grave threat to her legal career had she been convicted of a felony, Camic said.

“We’re gratified we were able to put her in the best light possible for her to continue her practice of law,” he said.